


You've Tripped Over the Finish Line Now, Boy

by detectivelion



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Not really sure where I was going with this, Remember what Bill did in Sock Opera?, description of violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-05
Updated: 2015-04-05
Packaged: 2018-03-21 07:37:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3683679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/detectivelion/pseuds/detectivelion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's never a good idea to let a demon into your mind and body. Dipper got that warning a bit too late.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You've Tripped Over the Finish Line Now, Boy

There was something wrong with Dipper Pines.

Midnight, he sat out on the roof of the Mystery Shack and pondered. In Piedmont the stars had been dim and miniscule. Here, they were enormous, blazing so bright he felt giddy looking up at them. His eyes traced the same six stars that were printed behind his hair, after which he had been named.

Mabel had been dreaming when he slid out of bed. His Grunkle’s snores could be heard from the wall, and not a single whisper was spoken when he tiptoed up the stairs and onto the roof. He’d forgotten a jacket. The chill was grounding, though, so he deemed it unnecessary.

And as usual, he couldn’t keep himself from getting lost staring at the sky. I _t was so vast, so much there beyond any human’s comprehension. Things he’d never know about._

Things no one would ever know about, not while they were rooted to this earth. He’d been up higher than this roof. Dipper had hiked up a mountain and when he looked down, the people there looked

_fragile. So tiny, so easy to contol._

It had been something of a revelation, staring at the town from so high above them. Knowing that they were only one part of a much bigger world, and their world was barely an atom in the fabric of the universe. _The universe itself was only one dimension, there were so many others, creation was impossible to comprehend._

If he _fell_ from the spot, Dipper mused, he would survive. His bones would break, but they would mend. And then he’d be able to climb back up, and fall again, and the bones would break, and again and again.

It was time for him to go back inside, he decided.

* * *

 

He already knew he had changed since he and Mabel had gotten on the bus and left their home behind. What he had believed to be a summer wasted had turned into the best of his life. And the worst.

The scars on the back of his hand tingled. He could still feel the fork’s prongs jab at him again and again until blood was drawn, though it had only been a phantom pain then and was even less now. He picked one up and felt the inexplicable urge to stab it into his skin, just to have something to compare the not-pain to.

Dipper set it down carefully and headed towards the bathroom. The cold water on his face helped to jerk him out of whatever fog he’d been drifting in. He glanced up, meeting his own eyes in the mirror.

Brown irises that ringed his pupils, surrounded by white sclera. He leaned in closer and _one eye_ flashed gold.

He jerked back, away from his reflection and clasped a hand over his eye. His heart was palpitating uncomfortably fast. He gave himself three gulps of air before forcing his hands away, staring warily at his brown-eyed reflection.

Trick of the light, he told himself, but fled before it could happen again.

* * *

 

He watched Mabel lift her hands, watched her rise up like an angel like a shooting star before the world ended.

_“We’re all going to d--”_

Dipper opened his eyes.

* * *

 

Grunkle Stan seemed to have a fragile sort of happiness follow him everywhere he went. Dipper supposed he’d feel the same if such a thing had happened to Mabel. His sister was ecstatic, only leaving their grandfather alone when she had to sleep or Stan(ford, not ley) shooed her away.

He understood his Grunkle’s actions, far more than anyone seemed to know. He would have torn apart the world a thousand times over for Mabel. It was not Stan he blamed, that would not be fair. Dipper’s resentment was only for his sister.

Stanley himself had written the words: Trust No One.

He had trusted Mabel.

_Mabel had betrayed him._

She was his twin, his other half, his better half. There had not been a second of his life where she wasn’t there. They grew up together, fought monsters, defeated Gideon, survived what could have easily been the end of the world together and it meant nothing to her.

_In that case, she would mean nothing to Dipper._

If only it were that easy.

* * *

 

He had never intended to summon a demon, but it had been his last chance. Mabel wasn’t there, he was all alone and the creature that was chasing him had a blood trail to follow now.

He didn’t dare look at the mangles of his hand. The teeth were meant for shredding, and the jaws had been strong enough to make his bones give way beneath it. It didn’t hurt, shock had taken care of that, though he could feel blood oozing down his skin.

_Until then, I’ll be watching you!_

The Stans had both warned him away from the woods. They had taken the journal, his journal and were somehow always there to block his way. Sneaking out of the house late at night had been foolish. If the forest was dangerous in the light, it was deadly in the dark.

And now he was defenseless. He could hear the creature’s heavy steps, could hear the rattling growl like there was gravel in its throat.

_I’ll be here for you, ready to make a deeeaaall._

“Mabel!” He screamed, no use in staying quiet when the creature already knew he was here. “Grunkle Stan!” Dipper Pines would die in the woods and there might not even be a body to be found. He only had one chance to live.

He gave one more scream. Toxic eyes glinted out of the darkness, its teeth dripping with saliva. Then the world slowed down as all color drained away.

* * *

 

_Looks like you’ve got yourself into quite a predicament, Pine Tree!_

“Can you help me?”

_Hmmm, I dunno. What if I don’t feel like saving you? I gotta say, it would be a lot more fun to watch that thing tear you to shreds. Did you know those things enjoy eating your limbs first and then killing you?_

“Bill, please! Is there anything you want from me?”

_Scared of dying, kid? Ha! Worry about how you’re going to die first. Pretty painfully by the looks of it. But if you’re willing to stab out the eyes of everyone living in that shack of yours, I could prevent that!_

“...”

_No? Alright, have fun getting devoured alive!_

“I can’t do that to them.”

_Why not? It’s not like they’ll die or anything, just horribly scarred and blinded for life!”_

“Just go away, Bill. Let that thing eat me, I’m not going to hurt people so that I can survive.”

_Very noble of you, Pine Tree. Once you’ve existed for a few thousand years, you start to stop caring about that sort of thing. But if you’re not willing to do that, there is one other thing._

“What, do you want me to sacrifice someone to you instead?”

_Not a bad idea, kid! But not this time. How about I save your sorry life, and in return I get to talk to you from time to time?_

“Talk to me?”

_That’s right! It gets pretty boring in the Dreamscape all on your own. I mean sure, slowly burning the essence of other demons is fun and all, but what’s the point when you do it on your own?_

“What’s the catch?”

_“There is none. Think it over. The exact terms are I keep that creature from eating you, I’ll even transport you completely unharmed to your bed, and in return I get to talk to you. Are there any loopholes in that?”_

“I… guess not.”

_Great! So have we got a deal?_

….

“Yeah. Deal.”

* * *

He didn't regret it. Not much, anyway. Only when Bill decided to have some fun in his dreams did Dipper wonder if being eaten alive was preferable to this fate. But Bill wasn't so bad when he wasn't trying to destroy his great uncle's mind or possessing Dipper's body. If nothing else, he could trust Bill. 

_I've never lied to you, Pine Tree. I don't lie to anyone. I can't deny that I twist my words, but if somebody falls for that it's their own fault, isn't it? That's just business, you've gotta read the fine print.  
_

He didn't need the journals anymore. Bill would whisper to him when everyone was asleep, and he could creep outside and into the woods, venture deeper than he'd ever dared to before with the demon's guidance. He would return by sunrise, and fall back into bed without anyone knowing. It was only the bags under his eyes that made the others worry, easily explained by bad dreams mixed with insomnia. 

Grunkle Stan and Stanley exchanged a look at that, and it seemed far more worried than anyone should be about a few nightmares.

Mabel stopped him in the hallway a few days later. "The new Dream Boy High is out!" She announced this while holding up a brightly colored movie case. In the back of his mind, Dipper could feel Bill recoil. "In _this_ one, they're trying to figure out what's going on with a mysterious new boy. I think he may be a vampire!"

Dipper forced himself to crack a smile. "And you're going to force Grunkle Stan to watch it."

"Nope! I'm going to force _everyone_ to watch it." 

He felt his stomach drop. "Actually," he began, feeling a twinge of guilt as her smile faded. "I'm, um, trying to catch up on some sleep. Gotta get rid of these bags sometime, right?"

Mabel nodded, her smile returning. "Oh, okay. How about I wake you up in a couple of hours?"

He felt irritation begin to itch at him. "Mabel, I don't--"

_Watch the movie Pine Tree._

Dipper hesitated. 

_This'll get them off your back. Besides, you look horrible! Humans are disgusting when they don't get enough sleep._

He gave a small sigh, then nodded. "Alright. Give me an hour and we can watch the stupid film." If he weren't so mad at her, the way Mabel beamed would have made it all worth it. The murmur of _Remember she's done nothing for you_ set him back on track. 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Uh. Sorry? This went a lot differently than how I'd intended, and now it's kind of completely off track. I didn't even know where to end it so I'm just dropping it where it is. Apologies.


End file.
